Did you know that Ylang Ylang is one of the most powerful natural aphrodisiacs? It is also used in many popular perfumes in order to give them an alluring aroma. But usually those perfumes come at a pretty hefty price, which I was unwilling to splurge on. This little hiccup got me intrigued and got me thinking about creating my own product. Plus the fact that you can have an all-natural version of your own signature scent was an added consolation!
Making the perfumes was a fun experiment and the natural alternative did wonders for my skincare routine. It was gentle on my skin, lingered for long hours and was a unique scent only I knew the origin of. Soon, questions like “where did I get it?” and “what brand is it?” came pouring in, which I loved! What followed was a conscious decision to switch my skincare to all natural alternatives, enter, soaps!
DIY soaps allowed me to target specific skin issues that I wished to be dealt with. Eg, cinnamon soaps for dealing with body odour, orange soaps for a cleansing effect, lavender soap for calming the skin and so on. But a word of caution ladies, this practice of making your own personal care products needs commitment. It’s definitely not like going to the store and picking up a soap or a perfume! But if you do wish to go ‘au naturel’ with your daily skincare needs, take notes below on the simple steps to make your own soaps and perfumes!
My DIY Soaps
The Ingredients
Melt and pour soap base (milk/ gel/ oil/ butter based)
Fragrant essential oil (pure or a blend)
Soap DYE (optional)
The Tools:
Microwave-safe bowl (to melt the soap base in)
Wooden stirrer
The Process
Step 1: Melt your soap base in a microwave-safe bowl while avoiding letting it reach the boiling point. Add your fragrant essential oil (I used Ylang Ylang) in the melted base while it is in liquid form. Add the soap dye pigment (optional). Stir it lightly, make sure no bubbles are formed.
Step 2: Pour the mix into a soap mould, let sit for an hour, and your soap is ready for use! Store it by keeping it wrapped in a cling film to preserve the fragrance.
My DIY Perfumes
The Ingredients
An odourless clear oil (grapeseed/ safflower oil)
A great smelling flower (ylang-ylang/ lilacs/ jasmine/ rose/ lilies)
A citrus fruit for the peel (not the juice!) (lemon/grapefruit)
A spice (ginger/ vanilla bean/ cinnamon)
The Tools
The Process
Step 1: Smash the ingredients, chop or dice so that they are big enough to strain from the oil, and drop it in a glass jar. Add the odourless oil to fully soak the ingredients, put on the tight lid and store in a warm dark place. Wait for 1-2 weeks (depending on how strong you wish the fragrance to be).
Step 2: Once the ingredients are done stewing in the oil for a while, remove the lid and strain the oil into a glass container to extract the newly made scented oil. Make sure you squeeze the ingredients to extract every last bit of oil-soaked by them.
Step 3: Add your newly made essential oil to the odourless base oil in a ratio of 1:4 and mix. Pour it into the spray bottle and voila! Your fragrance is ready for use!
There are so many combinations of scents that you can experiment with and create. I personally create different scents in small quantities so that I am never bored with just one fragrance! This is actually something that I’ve been doing since a couple years now and me and my skin are very happy!
Ladies, put that kitchen to use for perfumes not parathas and get making your own blend of soaps and perfumes. Rock your customized, DIY soaps and perfumes like a total beauty maven. Write us about your experience right here at POPxo!